FIJI’S development path was severely affected by Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016 and such natural disasters can wipe away years of development.
This was highlighted by Fiji’s Speaker of Parliament Dr Jiko Luveni during the High-Level Political Forum held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York yesterday.
The discussions were focused on Benin and Cabo Verde’s Voluntary National Reviews concerning the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr Luveni said: “The challenges raised by Benin and Cabo Verde were similar to challenges faced by Fiji and the implementation is challenged by the effects of climate change, especially water scarcity in the case of Benin and the access to finance and partnerships.”
She encouraged the delegation to support Benin and Cabo Verde to identify ways they could address those challenges.
Dr Luveni said Benin and Cabo Verde should progress in achieving their Sustainable Development Goals fast to reduce gender imbalance.
